Under the Ocean
by hispreciousthing
Summary: In this mermaid AU, Rey has dreamed of the ocean her entire life. Then, when she finally is taken off her desert planet and to a world of oceans, she is unable to help herself and jumps into the water. The only issue being that she cannot swim. Drowning, she accepts her fate. That is, until a mysterious creature appears. Reylo. AU. Oneshot (maybe). Tag Warning: Drowning.
1. I

I.

It was a stupid mistake.

Rey simply hadn't been able to help herself.

She had been craving it all her life; the only thing that helped her fall asleep at night.

The ocean.

She had never seen it for herself; she had only heard mutterings about it at the marketplace as she scarfed down the meager portions she earned after a full day of scavenging.

It was said to be an unfathomably enormous body of water. On some planets, so large that it covered the entire surface. It was the exact antithesis of the desert; an endless sea with only small masses of land breaking up the surface. To a girl whose experience with water was limited to how much could be held by her canteen, it sounded like a dream.

So when she had finally, and by some miracle, been flown away from Jakku and taken to such a world, she was overwhelmed by her delight.

The planet was not a single body of water, but its oceans were more grand than she ever could have imagined.

The ocean below her was the most beautiful shade of blue Rey had ever seen in her entire life. Its surface was even, but upon it the light created flickering gems that had nearly blinded her. Rey expelled a shaking breath, her eyes were wide as saucers and brimming with unshed tears. It was so beautiful, so breathtaking, so perfect.

Rey didn't stop to think. Overwhelmed by the intensity of her emotions, she had jumped from the ship as began its descent over the shimmering surface in preparation to land on a small island up ahead.

Rey didn't register the shout of surprise that had chased her as she fell. She was too excited; too eager as she waited to make contact with her beloved ocean.

It was only when her body crashed into the water, far below the surface, that Rey suddenly realized her crucial mistake.

She did not know how to swim.

 _Stupid! Stupid!_

Panic seized her as she flailed in the water. She craned her neck up and opened her eyes, hoping that if she could see the surface then she could somehow spur her body toward it. However, the sharp stinging that assaulted her eyes immediately after she pried them open caused her to gasp, and the disgusting taste of saltwater began to choke her.

Rey quickly closed her eyes. Eventually she stopped thrashing. She began to calm. It was useless, she realized. She was absolutely finished. The ship and those upon it would not have enough time to collect themselves and come to her rescue.

After a lifetime spent dreaming, her wish was to be her undoing.

 _Ironic, isn't it?_

The part of Rey that was slowly fading into oblivion was amused.

Then she registered something strange; a pressure around her wrist. After it came another small pressure, this time at the back of her head.

She didn't want to move. She had given in. She had accepted her fate.

But she couldn't let it go. Always curious, always hopeful, Rey opened her eyes.

And what she saw was shocking. A creature was looking back at her. It had the face of a man, all sharp lines and angular features. However his eyes were startlingly black, with no whiteness in them at all whatsoever. His lips and hair, too, were black as midnight. She also saw a strange pattern speckled on the far side of his cheek, reaching his ear.

Then, the pressure on her head increased, and she found her body coming closer to the creature's. She found the strength to look down, and nearly couldn't comprehend the sight of a long tail connected to a pale torso.

The creature's face came closer to her own, and Rey could feel her heartbeat slowing in her chest.

She was going to die in the arms of this strange being.

Inexplicably, this thought was comforting.

Once more, her eyes drifted closed. She felt the pressure on her wrist move to the small of her back, and the lean body of the creature's pressed closer to her own.

The last thing her mind registered was something soft and cool pressing against her lips.

* * *

Author's Note:

Hello! Thank you for reading. I was inspired by this image ( image/139734030442 ) created by kitigai that I saw uploaded to Tumblr, hm, about an hour ago? I wrote this first bit ridiculously fast and was obviously very inspired. I do apologize that I never went into detail about who, exactly, had taken Rey away from Jakku. I really just wanted to get to the part where Kylo is a mermaid and I did want to have to theorize what the universe would be like without him in the First Order.

This was originally intended to be a oneshot, but I may write more for it. Though for the time being the story is still going to be labeled as "complete".


	2. II

II.

 _There was something rippling through the water._

 _Something strange._

 _Something powerful._

 _This was nothing ordinary. It was not a current or a wave. The ocean and the earth under it was still. No tremors below. No breeze above._

 _And yet there was something_ powerful _surging through the water._

 _He could feel it. He was sensitive to it._

 _He swam toward it. The water, as always, was cool against the pale skin of his face, torso, and arms. The powerful tail that propelled him forward was warm with exertion, and he glided through the water as swiftly as a bird soared through the sky._

 _He blended in well against the dark seaweed he swam through. He coveted his camouflage. He utilized it to hide away from the rest of his kind._

 _As he continued to swim toward the sensation, it grew stronger. However, it seemed to be eluding him. Glancing to the surface, he saw a great shadow moving overhead. There was something above the surface, in the air. The energy was coming from there, but what was it?_

 _Then, quite suddenly, there was a great burst of bubbles nearly an arms width away from him._

 _Something had landed in the water._

 _He quickly stopped his advancement, his brows furrowing in confusion._

 _As the bubbles floated to the surface and popped, they left behind a figure in their pace. It was a human._

 _A female human._

 _What's more, he could feel that_ she _was the origin of the powerful surge._

 _She was what he was being called to. He watched her for a moment, baffled. This human girl wrapped in strange, heavy garments held some kind of power within her; a power that was kindred with his. Somehow, someway, he was connected to this human being._

 _Who, he realized belatedly, was drowning._

 _He had assumed her initial flailing within the water was actually swimming, but when her body convulsed and then began to still, he realized something was very, very wrong._

 _Despite his better judgement, he swam to her side and reached out to her. He cradled her gently at first, not exactly sure of what he planned to do._

 _Why should he bother to save this human girl? Yes, there was certainly a connection between them, but this connection could prove to be disastrous. If he didn't save her, then the connection would be gone forever. It would never bother him again. If he did save her, then their bond could potentially send him over the brink of insanity._

 _Because he knew that if he saved her, he may grow attached. And he couldn't afford attachment._

 _Having felt his touch, the girl opened her eyes. He could read her expression as clear as the tides. She was surprised, then curious. Her eyes quickly roved over his features and when he found himself gravitating closer to her, she glanced down._

 _He nearly chuckled at the surprised expression that lit her features upon sighing the not-very-human half of him._

 _Until her eyes slipped closed again._

 _He had to act quickly now, but he had made up his mind._

 _He adjusted his grip on her, brought her closer. He felt the strange garment she wore on the bare skin of his torso. His caudal fin found itself wrapping around the lower part of a leg._

 _He brought his face closer to her own. He hesitated for just a moment. Then he pressed his lips against hers._

 _He had to intensify the kiss as he coaxed her lips to part and mouth open. He had to press impossibly close to keep the water from rushing in._

 _He breathed life into her. There was no other way he could describe it. It was his strange abilities that had isolated him from the rest of his kind and given him the power to do what others simply couldn't._

 _Such as save this girl from drowning._

 _Ensuring a seal over her mouth, he parted their lips and began to swim as quickly as he could. Her weight made it difficult, but not impossible. He knew she would survive the next few moments, but if she stayed submerged in the water for too much longer the seal would break and she would perish._

 _Luckily, he knew exactly where to take her._

* * *

Author's Note:

Thank you very much for all those who are reading and enjoying this fic! Truly, the first bit was something I created completely on a whim and in the span of about 45 minutes simply because I was inspired by a fantastic piece of art.

The kiss wasn't intended to be very "sexy". He's trying to save her life, not romance her.

If you're wondering about the caudal fin… Google "anatomy of an eel". That's what I did. WhatamIdoingwithmylife.

I'm going to refrain from turning this story into chapters. It will be marked as completed after this is uploaded, and I cannot promise that I will write more to follow it. It honestly just depends on how inspired I am by this and how much thought I really want to put into it. If I continue, then I will need to flesh out plot and the situation of this universe and at the moment I don't think I am quite up for it.

Again, thank you so much and I hope you enjoyed.


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